Winston Duke Opens Up About Knowing Lupita Nyong'o Since Their Days at Yale

Winston Duke gets serious in a photo from his shoot in Esquire‘s April issue, on newsstands now.

Here’s what the 32-year-old Us actor had to share with the mag:

On his seemingly overnight success after Black Panther: “Black Panther changed how people see me, but it hasn’t changed me as an artist. It’s a reflection of all the things that came before. My time doing August Wilson, my time studying Brecht and Ibsen. It feels like an overnight success because I’m exposed to more people, but the work’s been there.”

On knowing costar Lupita Nyong’o since their school days at Yale: “During Black Panther, I said to Lupita, ‘I can’t wait until you’re leading a movie. I can’t wait until people get to see you the way I’ve known you for such a long time. To be supporting her as a black woman in a leading role, it brings tears to my eyes.”

On how Us is helping to evolve the horror genre: “It’s a powerful statement, that this is a movie with a family of African descent as the leads in a genre that usually uses them as sacrifices or plot momentum—the black friend gets killed in the forest, the black friend gets killed first. It’s a wonderful addition to the film landscape to have a black family at the center.”

For more from Winston, visit Esquire.com.